Oude Gueuze Tilquin à l’Ancienne (6.0% alc/vol) is a spontaneous fermentation beer, produced from the blending of 1, 2 and 3 years old lambics. It is unfiltered and unpasteurized, and refermented in the bottle for at least 6 months. The lambics used were fermented and oak aged in our installations. These lambics are coming from worts brewed by Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon breweries.

Tastes delicious! Surprisingly, there are some earthy, leafy hops, along with a good dose of fruit salad and minerals. Perfectly tart, dry, and refreshing. Lingering finish of sour mango, with salinity and a touch of leafy bitterness, completely dry so I must drink more. Should have bought a 750.

I was looking forward to trying this, but it exceeded my expectations. The world is a better place with this new gueuze in it!

More User Reviews:

A 750ml champagne bottle with a BB of Feb 2021. 2010-2011 vintage; ABV stated as 6.0%. Purchased ages ago from a webshop and carefully stored. Described on the label as a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year-old lambics aged in oak barrels and originating from Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon. I've been waiting for a while to drink this - lets go!

A: Poured into a cervoise (repeatedly). Bottle conditioned. A luminous amber hue with faint sediment and moderate carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a minute or so before subsiding.

M: Mouthfeel is sharp, tingly and dry, with pleasant carbonation and great body. Very acidic and astringent; dries the palate utterly. Aftertaste of funky yeast, lactic sourness, mild vinegar and faint grain.

O: Magnificent. There aren't many beers with this sort of depth. It looks fantastic, while the aroma and flavour are incredible. Sour, funky and dry, with hints of yeast and grain. Excellent body. Challenging but rewarding; this is the pinnicle of Belgian brewing and possibly the best lambic I've had yet. The balance is superb - this is a world-class brew that deserves to be added to your must-try list.

This is the 2010 - 2011 vintage poured into a tulip glass. 375 ml bottle.

Appearance: Very hazy and dark amber and orange color. Little more than a one finger eggshell white head that dissipates pretty quickly. Love how hazy this is, it almost looks like orange juice.

Nose: Very nice funk. It's not as prominent as Cantillon or 3F, but pretty close. Has that classic Belgian funk to it though, lots of barnyard, dank basement like notes. I get a bit of spicy, herbal notes, maybe some slight pepper. Has a very nice lemony tartness that blends well with the funk.

Taste: A lot of funk with tons of lemony tartness. It's pretty sour, maybe about a 7 to 7.5 out of 10, which I'm sure has a bit to do with the age. That lemony sourness lingers for so long, it's great. I could wait a few minutes, dig my tongue in between my lip and gums and still get a nice punch of sour lemon.

Overall: This is pretty fantastic gueuze. It's right up there with Cantillon and 3F. If this had just a bit more funk or complex notes, it would put this gueuze over the top. Maybe one day they'll stock this on the shelves in Texas so I can buy it all.

A: 4.5 - Huge carbonation, the cork would have never stayed in place without the cage. Large off white fluffy white head composed of large to medium bubbles that slowly dissipate with great lacing and a continuous flow of bubbles from the base of the glass. Color is a straw golden yellow, crisp and clear, simply gorgeous.

S: 5.0 - O god damn Yes! Very characteristic and definitely a classic Gueuze aroma. A nice toasty bterry aroma with a hint of lactic sourness. Very earthy and quite similar in aroma to Cantillon's classic gueuze. Very citric and acid fruit like. This smells amazing!

T: 4.5 - Wow, very smooth carbonation with a gentle sourness and great but subtle Brett funk with very earthy citric notes. Very drinkable and refreshingly dry.

M: 4 - Very dry and refreshing with a slight bitter and a little bit tanic finish. Gentle Brett character that lingers and friendly lactic sourness. Very citric in acidity but very nice and very classic to the style.

O: 4.5 - This is a very tame yet complex lambic. A definite classic flavor profile but a little too smooth and clean. I couldn't wait to drink this but that's most likely my problem. It will definitely improve with age but a must have without to truly get a feel for this amazing lambic. A definite must try.

Velvety amber, possibly a little darker than expected for a gueuze, but it's definitely nice and radiant. Cloudy and hazy body, topped off with a thick, off-white nimbus head that grows softy to a few fingers before quickly crackling away into nothing but a thin film and thicker collar. Nice looking for the style, I suppose... no lacing is left behind.

I was expecting good things for this beer, but not necessarily *great* things. Well, shame on me. Because the aroma is great. It's absolutely beautiful. Funky-ass barnyard Brett, old musty waves of cork, dirty sweat socks, sour apples, biting lemon rinds, and a sharp continuum of acidity that slashes through and gapes everything in its way. So sour and so tart, just from the aroma. I can already tell that this is a finely made gueuze.

Pssshh, the taste is impossibly sour.... Okay, well, maybe not an impossible level of sourness, but it's pretty damn sour. Even more sour than I was expecting. Puckering notes of lemon flesh and lemon drops, pears, and apples, coupled with copious amounts of must and wet hay. Incredible sourness throughout, and it's surprisingly not quite as acidic (although a solid, acidic bite is still present) as the aroma may have you believe. Hello, drinkability.

The palate shows a good balance of sour and funk, though sour might win out just a bit in the flavor, despite the heavy notes of funk in the aroma. The back-end shows a bit more wet oak, damp cork, and forest-y, earthy, mushroom-y funk notes, finishing with a crisp bite and a dryness that should be a standard for the style. Each sip will have your mouth aching for another.

Wow, this stuff is damn good. And what's even better - it's relatively available and moderately priced for the style. This stuff could certainly stand up to some of the greats, and I believe this beer can be overlooked by many (yeah, yeah, the rating is high... but still, this is a very impressive brew). Sourheads rejoice, funkheads rejoice, gueuze lovers celebrate... Go get yourself some Tilquin and thank me later.

A: A light amber with good clarity and a lot of fine bubbles. The long lasting head is made of rocky off-white bubbles.

S: Moderately strong grapefruit hits your nose just after you pop the cork. Once you get it in the glass you can smell a balance moderate sour aroma with an earthiness. There is a light bit of rhubarb.

T: A clean refreshing, moderately-strong tart sourness that is in balance with the malt. There a light touch of honey and oak. The balance is pretty tart, although there are a few that are more sour. The finish is very dry with a linger grapefruit tartness.

M: A medium-light body with strong carbonation.

O: The beer initially makes your mouth water then dries it out. This is a well balanced Gueuze that is refreshing and tart.

A - Pours clear golden brown with one finger of off-white head. The glass is absolutely covered with tiny bubbles. Head eventually fades to a thin cap and leaves no lacing.

S - Tart aroma of lemon and green apple. Quite a bit of oak coming through and a nice yeast funkiness. Nice depth to the aroma.

T - Very crisp tartness, again largely lemon and green apple. Earthy funk is persistent throughout, but at this stage it is taking a backseat to the tartness. Also a bit grassy with a dry oak taste as well. Very tasty. The aroma seemed to have much more funk than the taste.

M - Medium/light mouthfeel that is quite dry throughout.

O - More on the crisp/refreshing side than the earthy/funky side at this point, though there is a nice funkiness. Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Hopefully the flavor will be equal to the aroma someday. Still, a very enjoyable gueuze.